In The Name of Good

In The Name of Good

Having police do child rearing will lead to worse abuses. ("Search for a
fix to Hub crime woes," Boston Herald, editorial, November 20, 2007) The longer
the absence of fathers in the home is ignored the longer this out-of-control
youth violence will continue.
Until lawyers, doctors, police and politicians begin snitching on their
colleagues the amount of violence will only increase. Young people are no longer
fooled about equal protection of the laws. They believe their own eyes over the
propaganda of the government and PR firms.
This is an instance of what George Bernard Shaw recognized as "The road to
Hell is paved with good intentions." Pre-Homeric Philosopher Cleobulous said,
"The Chief source of evil among men is excessive good." This is a clear example
of that.
If police see a 2-year-old with bruises will they ignore that? Who will own
the confiscated but not prosecuted drugs found by police searching for illegal
guns?

Roy Bercaw, Editor ENOUGH ROOM

Search for a fix to Hub crime woes
By Boston Herald editorial staff
Tuesday, November 20, 2007 - Updated 22h ago

We treasure our civil liberties in this country, but a proposal by police and
prosecutors to search for guns in the bedrooms of Boston teens - with explicit
permission from their parents - is not the privacy infringement that some
critics are suggesting.

It is instead a return to old-fashioned crime prevention - when worried parents
could trust a cop to step in and help, without fear the kid will be tossed in
jail.

“We have conversations with single mothers who express frustration in dealing
with teenagers who are uncontrollable,” said Boston Police Commissioner Ed
Davis. “In a community policing context, knocking on a door and asking . . . if
they would allow us to check their kids’ rooms for firearms may give them an
out.”

Davis and Suffolk District Attorney Dan Conley announced the new “Safe Homes”
program, in which police, accompanied by clergy, will seek consent from parents
(in writing) to search the home if their children are suspected of gang or gun
activity.

Police will act on tips from the community, which Davis points out, they already
have the option to do. The difference here is that if a gun is found, the DA
agrees not to prosecute unless it’s later determined the weapon was used in a
crime. Police will, of course, continue to seek warrants when they do suspect a
youth of involvement in a shooting.

There are those who say searching a home without a warrant (even with consent)
is wrong. Yes, it must be awfully nice to sit in an ivory tower and wax academic
about the “right thing” for parents in crime-torn neighborhoods who are
terrified for their kids. Saying no is an option, and Davis wants parents to
know it.

The Safe Homes initiative is an out-of-the-box approach to tackling Boston’s
youth violence problem. Let’s let it work.